Tuesday, July 27, 2010

I attended the annual Long Beach Model T Club swap meet in Los Alamitos Saturday, and low and behold I spied a strikingly similar set of vintage Dayton wire wheels! They were under a very nice T coupe owned by a older fellow named Nick.

I got to speaking to Nick, turns out he knew Bill Bair. Talking some more, he said he bought his T from Joe Mack, long time owner of Obsolete Ford Parts, Joe died a year ago. Joe was a good friend of Bill’s as well. I found that fact out two weeks prior at the Trompers of Eagle Rock swap meet where I met John ‘Kretch’ Kretzschmar. Kretch, also good friends with Bill, saw the roadster at the Trompers swap and instantly knew he was looking at Bill’s car. Kretch worked for Joe for 30 years at Obsolete Ford, Bill hung out there often.

So now I able to put a few more connections together –Bill’s circle of friend is widening. And couple more puzzle pieces are coming together on the roadster's history.

I can't help but to find it interesting that both Joe & Bill had the same wheels on their cars. Exactly the same in fact –same color, caps, size. Either Bill bought the wheels from Joe, or Joe from Bill. I hope to know someday.

Joe loved that T, he kept it in is den apparently, so he could look at it all the time. I can see why, it is beautiful. Nick says he’s been in love with the T for 40 years. Finally when Joe called Nick and said he’d like to sell it (this was shortly before Joe's passing). Nick told Joe over the phone he'd think about it. But it wasn’t until Nick’s wife heard and said, “Sold!” was when Nick actually bought it.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

1939-1942 Wide-5 lug pattern, 3/4 ton Ford truck wheels that are 16x5", a pair of them! The green wheel is what I need, these are NeilinCA's from the HAMB.

Update, August 13, 2010: HAMB buddy Chad in the Dakotas has pulled the wheels off his cousin's truck and is selling them to me. Things are looking up!

August 23, 2010: Chad has shipped out the wheels to me!
Everybody else; the search is officially called off.
Good work everyone! Now, let's play some football...

August 30, 2010: Got the wheels, very happy.

October 31, 2010: They are on the car! The wheels needed a little TLC when they were delivered by UPS. Rusty on the inside due to moisture that had gotten inside the tire and messed up things a little. But the outside actually had factory paint still on them.
I really had little choice but to take them to get sand-blasted. So I only had them blast the inside of the wheel rim. Hey, why not keep the factory paint for a little while longer, right? Beside the outsides were very smooth.
I got the wheels back and it looked like the surface of Mars --peaks & valleys. So I ground down the sharp peaks to protect the tubes, before I primed & painted, only the inside of the rims again. I used my torch to help straiten some rim dings too.
I had Firestone mount the giant dirt-track tires. The tires look OK, but they're growing on me.

Friday, July 2, 2010

It actually happened! I own a car that is worthy of being shot for a major car magazine. Good old Daytons will appear in Rod & Custom Magazine --issue date to be determined. It’s just really exciting to think I may get a little recognition for my hot rod prowess, for the ability to find a gem, and that maybe my disorder does have merit.

I have to thank my friend Ed Gallagher, also Axle from GNRS, for bringing attention to the car to Aaron Kahan of R&C. Not that it took too much persuasion. Aaron had interest in the car from the beginning.

As the story goes, Aaron has a friend (the second fellow to call about the car) waiting at a nearby diner to see the car if I were to pass on it. I’m still not sure whom it was that was waiting, but it’s a friend of Verne Hammond as well. Verne being a member of the same club Aaron is in, the Burbank Choppers.

The photographer was Timothy Sutton. Absolutely, one of the nicest people I have ever met. He is a newer freelance photog for the magazine, but a real pro. He’s shot a few cover cars lately, and really has a great style. Tim also shots fashion photography; he brings his own lights to the shoot –something I wouldn’t have expected in an exterior car shoot.

Before I knew Tim personally, I had already noticed the difference he had made in the look of cars in the magazine. The look Tim achieves in the cars he’s shot have been, let’s say --‘more energetic’, maybe ‘flashy’ for lack of better adjectives. He also can add a heap of drama. Drama from the lights he brings, remember. Tim can add life to static cars, some glossy reflections on the sides, interesting fore & background shots with multiple cars. It’s all in the details.

I must bring up the Chris Casny coupe from early 2010, because it caught my eye right away. It happened to be the first car Tim shot for the rag. I instantly noticed it was a side-step from the mag’s usual stuff. He had a driving shot from tire height, I thought “wow, this is different!” Also a long shot from a roof of the coupe on a railroad bridge. Which happened to be a bridge I’ve driven by many times in Burbank.

In my opinion, Tim is a welcome relief. I really don’t want to put down the magazine's recent past, but some of the cars features have been a real snooze.

Now to the shoot of Daytons. Tim asked if I knew any locations I liked as backgrounds for the car. I drove around took some photos, but it wasn’t very fruitful.

The day of the shoot Tim did a little scouting, but we ended up in tried and true, Culver City’s old industrial area off Jefferson Blvd.

Tim had me move the car around a lot, getting great shoot angles obviously very important. Ed was in town for the LA Roadster Show, so he helped. We drove the car to three different backgrounds, some with lights set up, some without. Tim had us mix & match parts; the hood on, no hood; canvas top on, no top.

Just before the last shots, Tim had me turn the car around. I got in to start it –the starter stuck! A minute of head scratching, starter hammering, we just push started it. Took a few more shots and back to home we went.

Tim wasn’t done with us yet. It was dark now and Tim had the idea of shooting me driving Hollywood Blvd and night. It was terrific & hectic, but I think the artist got what he wanted.

The car being shot was certainly was the highlight of my year. When the issue is released I’m sure I’ll be excited all over again.

E&J: Inside The Light

melt aluminum for casting

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About The Author

Born in Los Angeles in 1974, I still live within a mile of where I grew up. I didn’t come into vintage hot rods until my mid 20’s. But I’ve been a car enthusiast much longer. Mostly a tinkerer, I like to figure out how things work, and what stuff they are made of. Natural things intrigue me; I’d happily spend a whole day collecting rocks & driftwood at a beach, or looking into tide pools.
I’m happily married, and we’re currently saving to buy a house. I work in freelance TV & film art & props departments, I also own a Playstation3, and like to read magazines.